Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-12-09

been sWoppea OF for somebody 5.s-.
he said. with great sigh of thankful
ross. And though. as might be cx
pected, Tad Thorne's religious knowl
edge was of the ya@ucSt possible order
he somehow felt his heart going ou1
thankfully to the Maker Of such g
beautiful world.
There said Tad. rs. finishing trim
ming the pole. he rose to his feet and
brushed of the twi@s, "now for tn,
trout
The brook went dancing and laugh
ing along at his side. with here and
there mimic waterfall, at the foot Of
which the foam and bubbles drifted
about in frothy masses.
With fingers trembling a little with
excitement, Tad fastened his line, with
its heavy sinker and hook large enough
for black bass, to the end of the pole
Adjusting the bait, he threw his line
into the deepest part of the pool.
Il guess 1t isn't q very good day fol
trout, any way" he murmured, after
about five minutes of letting his line
drift along in the current, and pulling
it up again. But stop. little tug at
the hook sent thrill from his finger
tips to his toes. With a jerk that
would have landed a thrce-pound trout,
Tad pulled out club about four inches
long, which, with hook, line and sink
er, was Immediately cntancled in the
alder branches over his head, requiring
some ten minutes of perspiring effort to
clear it.
Trout amt as big as thought for, ~
he said, half aloud, as he surveyed his
prize. at must take an awful lot OF
'em to make a mess" Tad added,
graEely, as he strung the small fish on
twig, and made his way little fur
Their upstream, in his ignorance pass
ing over the deep pools and swelling
eddies, which are generally the Turk
hg-places of the spotted beauties.
By eleven o'clock, Tad, who had
caught seven clubs, each about finger
in length, began to think that the
sharm of trouting had been consider.
sbly overstated. 1t was rather early
IN the season for mosquitoes, yet there
were quite enough of them about to
make it quite lively for fisherman.
He had assembled the brook about two
miles, and was tired and decidedly
hungry; and, moreover, he found him.
self right in the heart of what seemed
TO Tad's unaccustomed eyes a bound
less forest.
Sitting down on a stump, Tad gazed
about him, wondering at the solemn
silence. Overhead, the wind sighed
softly through the tops of the great
pines. Red squirrels chittered in tho
spruce and hemlock trees, and /: par
acularly venturesome one dropped a
sone from an overhanging Dough at his
Tery feet, vanishing among the branches
With wonderful swiftness, rs Tad
booked suddenly up. A partridge
lrummec in the distance, and wood
chuck scampered rapidly through the
lnderbrush at little way off.
II wonder if there are any bears in
hese woods" thought Tad, with an
uncomfortable thrill pcrvading his
rame at the bear possibility. "Td
,ither have to run or climb a tree if
aw one coming" he thought, "and
'et, what good would that do, whei e
ears can climb and run rather better
han most boys" In 81 Juvenile paper
We had read how one "boy hero" thus
urprised, had hastily dashed his open
ack-knifc to the end of a pole, and
oddly attacking the savage beast, had
lain him by fortunate thrust. Tad
mechanically took out hfs own Jack
knife, and opened the two-inch blad
Of the best cast-iron.
Il couldn't do much with that" h
thought, "but l suppose
"G-r-r-r-r"
A terrible growl, accompanied by
rustling in the thickct of small pine
close at hand, sent Tad's heart into hi
very throat! There was not even tim
to splice the knife to the fsh-polc, TO
the growl and rnstling were repeate'
louder and nearer than before!
The hackneyed expression, "to SCI
his life dearly" flashed into Tad
mind. and, bracing himself against tn
tree-stump-somewhat in the
"Come one, como all-this rock shall fly
From its firm base, rs soon as T.
attitudc-he held his open jack-knife il
bis hand, and awaited the overcoming
monster!